by Nicole Auerbach, USA TODAY Sports

by Nicole Auerbach, USA TODAY Sports

ATLANTA - Michigan guard Spike Albrecht became an instant legend in the first half of Monday's championship game against Louisville, scoring 17 points and going from no-star recruit to household name in a matter of minutes.

His parents, bewildered by Twitter terminology, said they had no idea what "trending" was, but their son was doing it by halftime. He gained thousands of Twitter followers as he sunk shot after shot, lifting Michigan when national player of the year Trey Burke went to the bench with two early fouls.

But, in a moment of reflection at halftime, his father became emotional amid all the excitement.

"His grandpa passed away right before the season," Chuck Albrecht told USA TODAY Sports, before breaking down in tears. "I told him Grandpa was going to be watching. I think that's what's given him the strength."

Chuck Albrecht called the death "devastating" for his son. Spike Albrecht's mother, Tammy, said her father "was a big fan of Spike's." So they tell him every game that his grandfather is watching.

"I know he's here," Chuck Albrecht said. "He's got a great view somewhere. I'm happy for the other boy, too, Luke (Hancock of Louiville). I heard his dad is sick, and he's doing a great job."

Hancock led Louisville in its first half, scoring 16 points and turning the national championship game into a battle of bench players for the first 20 minutes. Hancock ultimately finished with 22 points, including a late three-pointer and key free throws down the stretch and earned most outstanding player honors.

Albrecht did not score in the second half as the Cardinals pulled away for the championship.

But he sparked Michigan before intermission and finished 4-for-5 from beyond the arc Monday, two nights after hitting two threes to help Michigan past Syracuse in a national semifinal. This all coming after a regular season in which Albrecht averaged 1.5 points in 7.4 minutes per game.

"If there was a point guard I want coming off the bench, it's Spike Albrecht," said Michigan sophomore Trey Burke. "Each and every game he's going to give you 110% effort. He's going to make plays for you. He may not win the look test, but he's going to make plays for this team. He has a bright future ahead of him. I wasn't surprised by his performance today. We see him do things in practice a lot. Unfortunately we couldn't get it done today as a team."

Albrecht's father Chuck said, "The bigger the stage the better he plays. Yeah, it's surprising but it's Spike. ... He told me last game he just felt like everything was on. I watched him in warm-ups, and he looked really good. You hit that first one, second one, everything starts going in."

Michigan coach John Beilein said Albrecht has shown him plenty for a long time, so much so that he didn't need to give him any advice when he entered the game in Burke's stead.

"I have so much trust in that young man in the roll he's been on," Beilein said. "In the early season practices, Spike's team always won. They always won. Even when I went and saw him at Brewster (Academy), I watched five or six games, his team always won, like pickup ball in their open gyms.

"I have so much confidence. I don't have to tell him. He and I must think a lot alike because he's got so much confidence."

Burke stepped up after halftime and finished with a team-high 24 points. Even so, Albrecht's gutsy play gained him a new admirer in fellow Wolverine and former Heisman trophy winner Desmond Howard.

"I told some guys on this staff, on Michigan's staff," Howard said at halftime, "I even told Spike. I said, 'Spike, I love your game.' I said, 'You're a difference maker.'

"You could tell, when he comes in, he contributes right off the bat. Consistently. He's just having more of an opportunity to chip in because Trey is on the bench longer, so the more time this kid's in the game the more he's going to contribute. He's a baller."